It Looks Like Kellen Moore Will Take The Saints Coaching Job

The Saints job is the only head coach opening that has yet to be filled in this cycle. While nothing is official, and nothing can be official until after the Super Bowl, it may already be filled. The Saints met with Kellen Moore on Monday, in Philly, and according to everything we have heard, he is the clubhouse favorite to land that job after the Super Bowl.

Don't take my word for it though. Adam Schefter himself joined Kincade & Salciuans this morning and told us what he knows. This is what he said when Andrew asked him what the odds were Moore would be the Saints next Head Coach.

By rule, they can not hire him yet. They can't even talk to him again. Which was part of the issue with Jonathan Gannon a couple of years ago. The Cardinals had contact when they were not allowed to. But it certainly sounds like once the the Saints hire Moore, they are going to. Meaning the Eagles will be on totheir 4th Offensive Coordinator in as many years.

This was something many thought could happen when they hired Kellen Moore. He was never a long-term fit. He has been getting Head Coach hype for years now. So the Eagles are hopefully prepared for this.

Adam Schefter talked about how the Eagles might replace him, and he seems to think they are going to look within.

"I guarantee there are enough candidates on staff that they have to go through. That's what most teams do when they lose coordinators. They look within.

The Lions lost their defensive coordinator and they promoted their new defensive coordinator from within. Even their offensive coordinator was on their staff two years ago. And a lot of times people like to look within, try to replace their guys.

That's going to be an option. It's hard to go out and get a top-flight Offensive Coordinator any time, no less after a Super Bowl game. So that'll be a challenge. Every team has them and that's going to be one of the Eagles after the Super Bowl if and when they lose Kellen Moore."

Two years ago when they lost Shane Steichen, we knew Brina Johnson was the next guy up. There is not that guy this year, at least not one as obvious as Johnson was. RB Coach Jemal Singleton gets a lot of praise, as does QB Coach Doug Nussmier and Passing Game Coordinator Kevin Patullo. But Doug Nussmier has coached with Moore for a while and could follow him to New Orleans to be the Offensive Coordinator there.

One of those 3 in-house candidates could be the next OC. But Eagles might be wary to go to someone with no NFL Play Calling Experience again after how it went with Brian Johnson. If so, they will have to look outside.

There are also some familiar faces outside the organization who could make a return. Frank Reich was the Offensive Coordinator when the Eagles won Super Bowl 52, is currently out of work, and obviously has a close relationship with Nick Sirianni.

Likewise, Josh McCown has had buzz around his name, has played in Philly, and did a great job with Sam Darnold as the Vikings QB Coach this past year. Chargers Passign Gam,e Coordinator has also coached in Philly, and after a successful year with the Chargers, is an interesting name who has gotten some buzz around the league.

Every other team has a head start on the Eagles, and many teams have already filled out their staff. So the Eagles will have to be more creative if Moore does get hired, which looks to be what is going to happen. But they will have some interesting options, both in-house, and outside the organization.

After the bulk of the Eagles off-season moves, including Free Agency and the draft, the mood around Philly was definitely higher. Did we envision the Eagles would win 17 of 20 games and make it to the Super Bowl? Maybe not, but it was clear they improved. It would have been hard to not improve from where they were starting, especially for the defense that was one of the worst in the league.

But even the most optimistic of Eagles fans could not see how well so many of those moves have gone. Howie Roseman went up to the plate and hit Home Run after Home Run. Transforming a roster that at the end of last year was incredibly flawed, into probably the best team in the entire league. From a team that lost 6 of their last 7 games, to now a team that has won 15 of their last 16. And they are now 1 win away from a parade down Broad Street.

But before we look ahead to that game, and start breaking it down, let's look back on just how good of a job Howie Roseman did reshaping this roster.

Related: The Eagles Are 1 Of The Best Run Organizations In Pro Sports

What moves worked? What moves failed? Which moves flew under the radar when they first happened? And which moves did we give too much credit when it happened? We went back through every single move the Eagles made, and with the benefit of great hindsight, re-evaluated what Howie did.

Because as great as this season has been, there are some moves that failed. But there are also some moves that at the time we thought meant nothing, that have been game-changers for the Eagles. It was a very busy off-season for the Birds and Howie Roseman, and clearly it went well given where they ended up.

Before the draft, meaning before the Eagles landed two rookie corners, the Eagles had a major depth issue at Corner. They were the worst secondary in the league last season. Darius Slay was still here, which helped, but everything else was a question mark. So at the time, it made sense to bring back Maddox, who despite multiple injuries, had been more than solid for them as the Slot Corner over the past several seasons.

But based on the first 4 games where he served as the primary Slot Corner, the injuries had clearly caught up to him. He could not move the way he used to, and teams picked on him constantly. Cooper DeJean replaced him. After playing over 200 snaps in the first 4 weeks, he played just 80 over the next 12 games, before playing a ton vs the Giants in a game where the starters didn't play.

It was a fine move at the time, but it wound up not working. He is only useful as a depth player, but even then, you would be incredibly nervous if he had to go onto the field vs the Chiefs.

Re-Grade- D

The Eagles badly needed help at Safety. They threw a ton of option out on the field last season, and nothing worked. Not even trading for former All-Pro Kevin Byard. Enter a reunion with CJ Gardner Johnson.

CJGJ probably should have stayed with the Eagles to begin with. But poor advice from his management led to a split, and CJ temporarily became a Philly villain. But a year later, after he missed most of his 1 season with the Lions, CJ got a chance at redemption.

Boy has it paid off. CJ got off to a bit of a slow start, along with a lot of the defense. But as the season went along he got better and better. He had the 3rd most interceptions in the league, made several big stops in the run game, and was arguably even better in coverage than his first time around.

But perhaps more surprisingly, he became a major leader on the defense. Given his reputation as a bit of a hothead, no one would have guessed it. But his impact on the field is undeniable. He makes other players better, and his presence has freed up Reed Blankenship to play a different style of defense that suits his skillset better, making him even better too.

Re-Grade- A+

I don't need to take a lot of time on this one. It obviously panned out even better than anyone could have hoped. I was not on board with investing money in a RB, but 1) He clearly transformed the offense, making everyone reevaluate how we value RBs 2) It was actually a very team-friendly deal. He makes less against the Cap than Devin Singeltary does for the Giants.

Just go watch the first play from the Commanders game and tell me he was not worth every penny. One very sad and very wrong host in New York will do so, but no one else with half a brain will.

Re-Grade- A+++

When the Eagles signed Devon White, it was assumed he would be one of the starters at LB. He came into camp talking like a team leader. He was treated like a starter in practice and sat like a starter in game 3. And then the rug was pulled out and it was revealed not only was he not a starter, he would not even be active. Not long after he was cut having not played a snap for the Eagles.

Signing him made sense. He was a former 5th overall pick, and while he struggled at times in Tampa, he clearly had some skill. But Fangio was not a fan and did not see him as a fit. Since he could not play Special Teams, he was not even worth keeping as a backup. And given how well the Eagles LBs have played, moving on quickly was obviously the right choice, even if it was not the easy one. Kudos to Fangio for caring more about fit and play than he does about what the team has invested in a player.

Grade- F

When they signed Zack Baun, we assumed he was a situational Edge Rusher and a Special Teams player, because that is what he was in New Orleans. He had little to no experience at Inside Linebacker.

But then Vic Fangio said that Baun was their best Linebacker in his first press conference. Media and fans alike were a bit confused. Shows what we know. Baun went on to win the starting job and then went on to be the best Inside Linebacker in the league.

He led the league in Stops, forced 6 fumbles counting the playoffs, and was named a 1st Team All-Pro. Remind me to never doubt Vic Fangio again. He can pull a dude off the street, tell us he is going to be the starting Edge Rusher with Nolan Smith, and I will bank on him getting 10 sacks. Because clearly Fangio just has an eye for as of yet under-appreciated talent.

Re-Grade- A+

The first and maybe only true disaster of the off-season. Bryce Huff was their big addition alongside Saquon Barkley. He was intended to replace Haason Reddick (who we will get to later. Turns out he has barely started. Much like Devon White, Huff never entered the good graces of Vic Fangio.

He lost snaps every week as he struggled to make an impact. He eventually got hurt and missed significant time. But he had already lost most of his snaps and has not gotten them back since returning. He was incredibly effective in limited snaps last year with the Jets. But he has given the Eagles barely any production. Not even as a pass rusher. He got 3 years and $51 million and has given the Eagles 5 tackles and 2.5 sacks for all that money.

The emergence of Nolan Smith has softened that blow. But Huffs' struggle has left them with very little depth on the Edge. It has gotten to the point where a $17 million player only got on the field in a playoff game because the Eagles were up 30 points.

Re-Grade- F

He retired 2 months after signing the contract. He showed up to OTAs and then decided he did not want to play Football anymore. It was worth a shot, they needed WR depth, but clearly this one did not pan out. But given there was no downside to trying, you can't be upset about how poorly it worked out.

Re-Grade- F

Well, it went better than Parker because he actually played. He even caught a TD, albiet in the 1 game the Eagles lost by multiple scores. He has bounced back and forth from the practice squad all season. Mostly he has just been here for depth. The Eagles have hardly used any WR not named AJ Brown or Devonta Smith. But if you need a veteran WR to serve as emergency depth, you could do much worse.

Grade- C 

Bringing back Graham was an easy choice. He might be 36, but the guy is an Eagles legend, and still clearly had something to offer. It is a shame he got hurt, but he is actually going to try and play in the Super Bowl. Even if he can't just having Graham around was the right choice.

He could have given them no production and it would have been the right move. The fact he played well before the injury, just makes this easy to call a good move.

Re-Grade- A

A huge part of the Eagles off-season was not additions, but what they did for guys already on the roster. Jordan Mailata, AJ Brown, Landon Dickerson, and Devonta Smith were among the players who got extensions.

All 4 were great choices. Yes, they paid each of them a lot. But as we have seen time after time, getting these deals done early is always a good thing. Because you set the market, and every other team has to react. All 4 contracts were later eclipsed by bigger contracts. The Eagles took care of 4 cornerstones and got what will eventually look like team-friendly deals.

Re-Grade- A

Two rookie corners are about to start for them in the Super Bowl, and both are candidates for Defensive Rookie Of The Year. They immediately stepped in and started shutting down elite WRs around the league. The first two rounds were home runs and should give the Eagles a great secondary for years to come.

Jalyx Hunt has at times made an impact as a rotational Edge Rusher. Will Shipley just scored a TD in a playoff game plus forced a fumble on a kick return in that same game, and both rookies WRs snagged a TD throughout the season. This was a great class. The current impact is top-heavy, but all but one guy, who was cut out of camp, should still be here next season. Two will be starters, Hunt will step into a bigger role, and Shipley will likely be Barkley's primary backup. We will see what Johnny Wilson, Trevor Keegan, and Ainias Smith have to offer, but all could be valuable depth pieces.

Re-Grade- A

When they signed Burks, I pegged him as a sneaky candidate to start. I kind of thought he would be what Baun wound up being. Not an All-Pro, but a quality starting LB. He filled in well for the 49ers with Dre Greenlaw out last year and started throughout the playoffs. That experience I thought would give him a big role.

For most of the year, that was not the case. He mostly played Special Teams. But having him around paid off big time. Nakobe Dean suffered a season-ending injury vs the Packers, and Burks has filled in since. And while maybe not as great as Dean was, he has filled in very well. He forced two fumbles in the playoffs, held up in coverage, and made some key tackles.

Re-Grade- B

The Eagles needed a backup. They did not want to mess around and traded for Kenny Pickett, swapping their 3rd round pick for the Steelers 4th round pick in the process. The value of the deal was pretty much a 7th round pick, so don't fall for the narrative they gave up a 3rd. It was a pick at the end of the 3rd, and they got back a pick at the start of the 4th.

He played in 2 games. He struggled in replacement of Hurts vs the Commanders, but then played well vs the Cowboys before getting knocked out with a rib injury. Tanner McKee arguably played better though. They might have been able to trust Mckee and save themselves the pick swap. But this trade is not as bad as people make it out to be, it just isn't very good either.

Re-Grade- D

When the Eagles traded Haason Reddick, I hated it. They had no proven Edge Rushers behind him. Even their big signing of Bryce Huff was not proven, having only 1 good season where he was a part-time player. I was worried that the Eagles were taking a big chance on guys like Nolan Smith breaking out, and Josh Sweat bouncing back. OI even pointed out at the time that Haason Reddick had more sacks in the last 4 seasons than all of the Eagles' other Edge Rushers combined.

For the first 4 weeks, my fears looked like they might come true. but trusting in Nolan Smith paid off. Smith has genuinely been one of the league's best pass rushers over the past few months. It took a while, but once he figured it out he has become a consistent threat off the edge. Josh Sweat also bounced back to have a solid season. Huff didn't pan out, as we already discussed, and the Grham injury tested their depth, but the Eagles have made do with the Edge Rushers they have, and Reddick's career went off a cliff in New York. He held out, and when he eventually showed up, was a complete non-factor. Eagles will get a 3rd round pick in 2026 for their trouble.

Re-Grade- A